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Authors: Nichole Matthews

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“I have so much to tell you.

Poppy’s
eyes
were
alight
with anticipation
.  “H
urry we can go
to
my sitting room.”  Poppy grabbed Chloe and Freya’s hands
and
they raced up the stairs
.

Stopping halfway, Poppy called down to Dobbins, “Will you please have tea sent up?
  We will be completely dry once
we are done catching up
.

“Of course
,
my l
ady
.

Dobbins
inclined his head.

Declan stepped from the
shadows, a
smile flickering across his
lips
.
 
He was a bandit stealing glimpses of her throughout the house.  Like a madman
.  In
wardly shaking
his head, i
n
nocence was not
normally
his forte.  A
woman
like Poppy Peregrine had no place in his life.  He d
idn’t have time for innocence.  Or did he?

The sound of footsteps echoing
in the hall
made
him realizing he ju
st st
ood
out in the open gaping
at an empty staircase. 
He
ran his hand roughly through his black mane
.  H
e
was lo
s
ing his mind
.
  Tightening one of his hands into a fist, Declan quickly checked his features and went t
o
wards the billiard room in search of Ash, Perry and a
good strong
drink. God help him, he was in de
s
perate need of a drink
.
  He had plenty of time for a drink.

Piper slowly closed the door to the library and leaned back against its wooden su
r
facee.  She smiled at the scene she had just witnessed.  Hawksley had every appearance of a man smi
t
ten.

 

 

***

 

Poppy flopped down on her bed, gesturing dramatically as she searched
for words. 

“Whatever is the matter with you P
oppy?”  Freya asked concern evident in her voice
.

Poppy continued to stare up at the ceiling, and said in a disgusted tone,

Je
ne sais
quoi
?”

“Oh
,
my goodness

H
ow very
de trop
.
  Quit trying to practice your French on us
.
   I have never known you to be speechless before so don’t start now
.
” Chloe
rolled her eyes.


I’ve found him
,

Poppy said rather
matter-of-factly
.


Found whom
?”  Chloe asked.  “
I wasn’t aware that anyone was lost.”

Lunging from the bed, Poppy
said hopelessly,
“You bot
h will think I have gone stark
,
ra
v
ing mad
, but I
have
found the man
that
I
a
m going to marry.


Oh, that
one
,
” Chloe
responded with a clearer
understanding
.
“When did this
happy occurrence take place
?”


W
e only
met this
morning.
  It is utterly ridiculous
, I know.”  Poppy sighed
.
“I am being completely ridiculous
right?
”  Looking from Chloe to Freya,
then she
glared.  “Well don’t just sit there like bumps on a log
.
 
As my two dearest friends, you are obligated to help me.
” 
She gave
each of her friends a pleading look.

Eyes wide, Chloe and Freya stared at each other.  Chloe stood
first
and hugged Poppy.  “I am at a loss
,
darling.  I have no idea what to say.”  
Chloe
said with genuine perplexity before looking
to Freya for help. 
“We’ve all kind of eschewed marriage the last few years.”

Freya
shrugged
, regarding her with a very penetrating gaze
.

“Are you going to tell us who it is
,
love
,
or
must we
begin
guessing?”  With a puc
kered brow, Chloe began tossing out
random names


Mr.
Woods
?  Lord Martindale?”

Freya chimed in
brightly
, “I know,
Lord Sheridan.”

Chloe clapped.  “He is extremely attractive.”

“I wish you would stop blathering and pay attention
,
” Po
ppy said pertly
.

“Poppy,”
Freya admonished
.
“Do be nice
.

Interrupting
,
Chloe continued, “I’ve got it!
” 
She looked
triumphant
as she held u
p her hand

“Lord Harborough, y
ou danced with him twice at the Bedgeberry ball.” 
She clapped
her hands exc
i
t
edly. 

Poppy glanced at her with amusement.

“I do love saying that.
  Bedgeberry Ball, Bedgeberry Ball, Bedgeberry Ball.” 
She clutched at her side
laughing hysterically
.

“Do be quiet Chloe
,

Poppy snorted.  “You just like hearing yourself talk
.  B
edgeberry, Bedgeberry, Bedgeberry
, m
y arse
,” s
he cu
rsed and then chuckled.

“Poppy
,
I’m appalled
,

Freya scold
ed
,
snickering behind her hand.  “Such horrendous language.”


The only reason I danced with
Lord Harborough
a second time was because he
gave me no opportunity to de
cline his
invi
tation to dance without appearing
unforgivably rude.”  Po
p
py’s lips pursed. 

“Do tell us
,

Chloe said with a
delighted Georgie
snuggled
in her lap.
 

“Hawksley,
” Poppy
murmured.

“Hawksley?”  Freya asked.

“You have never met him.  A
t least I do
n’
t think you have,

Poppy
said.


Are you speaking of t
he duke?”  Chloe looked stunned

Her eyes alight,

Yes.  He
is the new Duke of Hawksley, Declan Trenowyth.”  She sighed once again.   “And he is
absolute perfection.

“How old is he?”  Chloe asked.

“I don’t know.”
  Poppy raised her brow.  “Perhaps of an age with Parker
?”

“I had no
idea
there were any young dukes
left
in England.” 
Freya
shook her head.

Looking
at
Chloe she con
tinued
,
“He has a wounded spirit.
I could tell
immediately
when I looked at him
.

Poppy
sighed.

Chloe and Freya
turned to each other
with
raised
brows
.
“Oh dear
, do tell us and do not even think about leaving out
even the tiniest of details.”

“He was in mourning when we came out
.” 
Poppy
chewed
on her lip.  “He is a friend of Parker’s.”  She paused thoughtfully
.
“I barely know him
.
  He came upon me in my garden.”  She took a deep breath. 
“He even quoted Shakespeare.”

Chloe looked at Freya.  “Poppy, we know how you love to take care of everyone.”

Poppy flopped back on her bed. 
“He is everything you could possibly imagine
and more
.
 
He is like the
hero in a Shakespearean drama
.

  Turning on her stomach, she
propped up her chin with her hands.  “First his father died.  Then his brother suddenly died of a fever.  His Mother passed years before.
”  She turned her head towards her friends.
 

He is all alone
.

“You don’t marry a man because he has no family left,” Chloe scoffed.

“I didn’t say that was the only reason.”  A faraway look appeared in her eyes.  “You’ve not had the privilege of meeting him yet.”


I’ve heard of him,” Freya exclaimed.  “
Declan Trenowyth hasn’t been seen i
n society for a couple of years,”
Freya reminded.

“That doesn’t mean that I can
not try to reintroduce
him back into society.

Poppy grinned.  “He did
come to Rosebriar, didn’t he?”

Chlo
e leaned back against the wall. 
“That is true, but that still doesn’t mean he wants you to save him.”

“Ridiculous, who would
n’t
want to be
saved
?”

Chloe and Freya laughed, l
ooking at each other with a conspiratorial
glance;
they both got up and pounced on Poppy

s bed.  “Well, I hope he has sufficiently prepared himself for this visit because once you have set your mind to something,” Freya sh
ook
her head
, “he doesn’t stand a chance.

“Speaking of Lord Harborough…”  Freya began, wiggling her eyebrows
suggest
i
vely
.

 

CHAPTER
SIX

 

 

She’s beautiful, and therefore to be wooed;

She is woman, and therefore to be won.

 

Henry VI

*William Shakespeare

 

A
fter tapping lightly at the door of the
B
illiards room,
D
obbins
entered the room and
a
n
nounced
, “Lord S
eymour and Lord Durham
.

   Both
men
were tall, b
road-shouldered, and lean
and exactly what every marriage
-minded
woman wanted in a hu
s
band
.

The Earl of
Seymour
, Aubrey Frasier
,
was the most outwardly flamboyant of the two
, mo
re concerned with the cut of his coat than the politics of the day
, or so it appeared.
He was a c
o
nundrum of sorts.

Durham stepped around Dobbins
into the dark paneled room

“Ash, do stop all this formality.  I have been playing here since I was in leading strings.  I know this place like the back of my hand.” 
His first stop was the liquor cabinet where he
q
uickly pour
ed
a
tumbler
of
brandy.
  Rai
s
ing his glass, he glanced towards Seymour.  “Can I pour you one?”

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